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'JUN  2 


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977 


L161  — H41 


CHURCH,   ACADEMY,  TOWER-CLOCK, 
FACTORY,  CHIME,  COURT-HOUSE, 
FIRE-ALARM,  AND  OTHER 


JVIOUNTED  IN  THE  MOST  APPROVED  MANNEF} 


Office  and  Foundery, 

22  AND  24  River  Street,  Troy,  N.  Y. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and  seventy-eight,  by 
MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


CLINTON  H.  MENEELV,  J 
GEORGE  H.  KIMBERLY  f 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY'S  BELL  FODNDERY, 


HIS  Catalogue  (revised  edition)  is  presented  to 


JL  the  attention  of  parties  contemplating  the  purchase 
of  Bells,  in  the  belief  that  it  will  amply  provide  them 
with  the  necessary  information  preliminary  thereto. 
The  ordinary  question  of  inquiry  in  respect  to  the 
weights  and  tones  of  bells,  their  mountings,  means  of 
transportation,  manner  of  hoisting  into  tower,  &c.,  find 
answers,  herein,  under  their  appropriate  headings.  The 
price,  per  pound,  at  which  bells  are  offered  is  the  only 
item  which  cannot  be  published  in  this  form,  inasmuch 
as  the  metals  of  which  they  are  composed  possess  a 
fluctuating  value  to  which  that  of  bells  must,  in  a 
measure,  correspond.  We  are  always  prepared,  how- 
ever, to  name  the  lowest  price  at  which  bells,  of  gen- 
uine bell-metal  composition,  can  be  furnished,  but  can 
never  agree,  under  any  circumstances,  to  manufacture 
bells  of  inferior  grade  at  corresponding  or  other  prices, 
fully  realizing  that  bells,  which  are  in  any  way  deficient, 
are  properly  considered  out  of  place  in  the  present  day. 

A  guarantee  as  to  excellence  of  tone  and  composition 
as  well  as  to  durability  of  casting,  accompanies  each  bell 
of  our  manufacture,  and  to  every  one  of  which  a  thor- 


4  MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS. 

ough  ringing  test  is  given  before  shipment.  It  is  little 
to  claim  that  every  bell  furnished  by  us  possesses  all  of 
the  quality,  volume,  and  prolongation  of  tone  which  the 
given  weight  of  metal  is  capable  of  producing,  while 
our  full  guarantee  is  given  with  every  bell,  that  no 
metal  or  metals  have  entered  into  its  composition  other 
than  pure  copper  and  pure  tin  —  the  only  metals  which 
as  the  experience  of  ages  and  many  authoritative  tests 
have  demonstrated,  are  capable  of  producing  a  good 
ringing  alloy. 

The  facilities  of  manufacture  which  we  possess  would, 
alone,  guarantee  success  in  our  work.  Our  foundery 
buildings  are  new  and  thoroughly  complete  in  every 
part.  All  of  the  patterns,  of  both  bells  and  mountings, 
designed  by  the  closest  calculation,  together  with  melt- 
ing furnace,  flasks,  etc.,  etc.,  are  new  and  of  that  charac- 
ter which  study  and  much  experience  have  shown  to  be 
most  nearly  perfect.  The  forms  and  proportions  of 
the  bells  are  secured  by  a  due  regard  to  the  laws  of 
acoustics  and  other  natural  guides,  which  render  un- 
erringly correct  the  production  of  any  desired  tone  or 
qualities  of  sound. 

To  the  proper  mounting  of  bells,  (this  subject  is  fully 
treated  elsewhere,)  we  have  given  a  consideration  quite 
in  proportion  to  that  of  their  successful  manufacture, 
and  can  safely  claim  that  our  "  Rotary  Mountings"  are 
the  most  efficient  of  any  now  in  use,  and  herein  invite 
investigation.  The  adaptability  of  each  part  of  the 
mountings  to  the  bell  is  plainly  recognized,  especial 
attention  having  been  given  to  the  firm  hold  of  the 
yoke  on  the  bell  ;  to  the. simple  arrangement  by  which 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY^S  BELLS.  5 

the  yoke  permits  the  bell  to  be  turned  upon  its  vertical 
axis,  so  as  to  cause  the  clapper  to  strike  in  a  new  place 
and  prevent  liability  of  fracture  ;  to  the  ease  with  which 
the  bell  is  made  to  swing  ;  and  to  the  use  of  material 
in  those  forms  which,  it  is  well  known,  yield  the  great- 
est strength. 

Making  the  bell  business,  in  all  of  its  branches,  a 
specialty,  to  which  our  undivided  attention  is  given, 
and  into  which  much  accumulated  experience  has  been 
brought,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  claim  that  we  can  satis- 
factorily fulfill  any  demand  in  this  line,  of  whatever 
character.  The  unqualified  success  which  our  bells  have 
attained  in  every  section  of  our  country  ;  South  Amer- 
ica ;  China  ;  India,  and,  in  fact,  throughout  the  remotest 
parts  of  the  world,  still  further  justifies  us  in  this  as- 
sertion. 

Especially  do  we  invite  those  who  are  in  any  way 
interested  in  these  matters,  to  a  personal  inspection  of 
our  establishment  ;  its  facilities  of  manufacture  ;  stock 
on  hand,  &c.,  with  a  view  to  their  own  satisfaction. 
Communication  by  letter  is  also  solicited. 

MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY, 

2  2  and  24  River  Street, 

TROY,  N.  Y. 


6  MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY's  BELLS. 


Church  Bells, 

Fully  warranted  as  to  excellence  of  tone,  purity  of  com- 
position and  streni^th  of  casting,  mounted  in  the  most 
approved  manner,  of  weight,  dimensions,  <^c.,  noted  in 
the  accompanying  table.  The  mountings  consist  of  our 
"C(^NicAL  Rotary  Yoke,"  (described  on  page  14,  and 
for  which  letters  patent  have  been  granted,)  so  arranged 
as  to  firmly  sustain  the  bell,  greatly  decrease  the  liability 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY's  BELLS.  7 

of  fracture,  and  essentially  lesson  the  labor  of  ringing, 
together  with  Wheel,  Frame,  Standard  and  Tolling 
Hammer  of  best  material  and  forms  of  construction. 
Steel  Springs  are  also  furnished.  The  bell  has  its  bear- 
ings upon  trunnions  running  through  the  yoke-arms  and 
body,  thus  effectually  preventing  the  shaking  of  the 
frame  or  jarring  of  the  tower  by  loose  action.  Mountings 
of  special  size  or  design,  for  bells  of  any  weight,  furnish- 
ed to  order.    Friction  Rollers  accompany  large  bells. 


bell. 

MOUNTINGS. 

Weight. 

Medium 

Diameter. 

Size  of  Frame,  ouUide. 

Diameter  of 

Price  of 

Tone. 

Wheel. 

Mountings. 

400  lbs. 

D 

2T  in. 

3  ft. 

6  in. 

by  3  ft. 

6 

in. 

4  ft. 

4  in. 

$  30 

450  " 

c# 

28 

3  ft. 

6  in. 

by  3  ft. 

6 

in. 

4  ft. 

4  in. 

80 

500 

29 

3  ft. 

9  in. 

by  3  ft. 

11 

in. 

4  ft. 

6  in. 

35 

550  " 

c 

30  " 

3  ft. 

9  in. 

by  3  ft. 

11 

in. 

4  ft. 

6  in. 

35 

600  " 

B 

31 

3  ft. 

9  in. 

by  3  ft. 

11 

in. 

4  ft. 

6  in. 

35 

TOO 

B 

33 

4  ft. 

1  in. 

by  4  ft. 

5 

in. 

5  ft. 

6  in. 

40 

800 

B[> 

34 

4  ft. 

1  in 

by  4  ft. 

5 

in. 

5  ft. 

6  in. 

40 

900 

A 

36  " 

4  ft. 

6  in 

by  4  ft. 

7 

in. 

5  ft. 

9  in. 

45 

1000  •* 

A 

3T 

4  ft. 

6  in. 

by  4  ft. 

7 

in. 

5  ft. 

9  in. 

45 

1100  " 

A 

38  " 

4  ft. 

8  in. 

by  4  ft. 

11 

in. 

5  ft. 

9  in. 

45 

1200  " 

Ai> 

39 

4  ft. 

8  in. 

by  4  ft. 

11 

in. 

6  ft. 

3  in. 

55 

1300 

A> 

40  " 

4  ft. 

8  in 

by  4  ft. 

11 

in. 

6  ft. 

3  in. 

65 

1400  " 

G 

41  " 

5  ft. 

0  in. 

by  5  ft. 

3 

in, 

6  ft. 

6  in. 

70 

1500 

G 

42  " 

5  ft. 

0  in. 

by  5  ft 

3 

in. 

6  ft. 

6  in. 

70 

1600  " 

Fif 

43  " 

5  ft. 

0  in. 

by  5  ft. 

3 

in. 

6  ft. 

6  in. 

70 

1800  " 

n 

45  " 

5  ft. 

5  in. 

by  5  ft. 

8 

in. 

7  ft. 

90 

2000  " 

F 

46  '* 

5  ft. 

5  in. 

by  5  ft. 

8 

in. 

7  ft. 

90 

2100  " 

F 

41  " 

5  ft. 

5  in. 

by  5  ft. 

8 

in. 

7  ft. 

90 

2300  " 

e 

49  " 

5  ft. 

5  in 

by  G  ft. 

1 

in. 

7  ft. 

6  in. 

115 

2500  *■ 

E 

50 

5  ft. 

5  in. 

by  6  ft. 

1 

in. 

7  ft. 

6  in. 

115 

2800  " 

E> 

51  " 

6  ft. 

2  in. 

by  6  ft. 

9 

in. 

8  ft. 

130 

3000  ' 

53  • 

6  ft. 

2  in. 

by  6  ft. 

9 

in. 

8  ft. 

130 

3500  " 

56  " 

6  ft. 

2  in. 

by  6  ft. 

9 

in. 

8  ft. 

140 

4000  " 

^* 

58  " 

6  ft. 

2  in. 

by  6  ft. 

9 

in. 

8  ft. 

140 

4500  " 

61  " 

6  ft. 

2  in. 

by  6  ft. 

9 

in. 

8  ft. 

140 

5000 

C 

63 

lit. 

2  in. 

by  1  it. 

8 

in. 

9  ft. 

165 

5500  " 

B 

65  " 

lit. 

2  in. 

by  7  ft. 

8 

in. 

9  ft. 

175 

6000  " 

B> 

67  " 

1  ft. 

2  in. 

by  7  ft. 

8 

in. 

9  ft. 

190 

The  actual  weights  usually  exceed  those  designating  the  patterns,  noted  above,  from  two 
to  three  per  cent. 

The  medium,  in  the  range  of  tones,  which  the  given  weight  of  metal  is  capable  of  produ 
cing,  is  that  referred  to.   This  range  of  tone  (quality  considered)  is  necessarily  very  limited 

The  fractional  parts  of  an  inch  are  taken  as  a  who'e  in  the  measurement  of  diameters,  given 
ibove. 

The  price  of  a  bell  is  computed  by  the  pound.    The  mountings  are  an  additional  charge. 


8 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY*S  BELLS. 


Pire-Alarm  and  Tower-Clock  Bells, 

Of  any  weight,  with  or  without  mountings,  and  provided 
with  the  most  approved  striking  apparatus,  if  desired. 

Special  information  as  to  the  weights,  dimensions, 
tones,  &c.,  of  bells  of  this  class,  suited  to  any  location, 
as  well  as  to  various  systems  of  mounting  and  striking, 
together  with  illustrations,  representing  two  forms  of 
mounting,  furnished  upon  inquiry. 


sc.  Pett  r's  Cbnrca  Cblme,  Albany. 

All  of  the  Albany  papers  speak  in  the 
veiy  highest  terms  of  the  chime  of  bells  re- 
cently placed  in  the  tower  of  St.  Peter's 
church  by  Meneely  &  Kimberly  of  this  city. 
These  bells  were  rung  for  the  first  time  on 
Christmas  eve  to  the  unbounded  satisfaction 
of  hundreds  of  the  leading  citizens— ladies 
and  gentlemen  wbo  crowded  the  streets  at 
midnight,  despite  the  storm,  listenino-  and 
applauding.    This  chime  is  especially  com- 
mended by  the  music-loviug  and  music- 
judgmg  community  for  its  purity  of  tone 
accuracy  of  pitch  and  perfect  ringin  a-  ad- 
justment. * 
The  Albany  Maening  Journal  says  • 
"Messrs.  Meneely  &  Kiml)erly,  of  Troy 
tne  manufacturers  of  the  Tweddle  chimes 
have  great  reason  to  congatulate  themselves 
over  their  work.    The  eleven  bells  are  so 
many  ummpeachable  witnesses  to  the  rare 
proficiency  which  they  have  attained— a 
proficiency  which  has  given  them  a  reputa- 
tion as  bell  makers  second  to  that  of  no  firm 
in  the  country." 
^    The  Albanians,  in  this  case,  seem  very 
willmg  to  admit  that  some  good  can  come 
put  of  Trov. 


H.rtKeusm.u.'""' 


Academy,  Factory  and  Depot  Bells, 

Of  weight  from  loo  lbs.  to  375  lbs.,  as  per  accompany- 
ing table,  with  complete  mountings,  including  "  Rotary 
Yoke,"  so  arranged  as  to  permit  the  ready  turning  of 
the  bell  and  prevent  liability  of  fracture  ;  Wheel  of 
Iron  ;  Substantial  Frame,  and  Iron  Standards.  Steel 
Springs  are  also  furnished.  Small  Churches,  Chapels, 
are  frequently  supplied  with  bells  of  this  class. 


bell. 

Weight. 

Diameter. 

100  lbs. 

17  inch. 

125 

18K  " 

150 

I'JK  " 

175  " 

20>^  - 

200  " 

2\y^  -  - 

225 

22 

250 

23 

275  " 

24 

300  *• 

24X  ' 

325  •• 

25 

350  • 

26  ' 

375 

26;<  " 

MOUNTINGS. 

Size  of  Frame,  Outside. 

Price  01  Mountinr-s 

2  feet  5  in. 

by  2 

feet  8  in. 

$13.00 

2-6 

•  2 

'    8  " 

13.00 

2  6 

'  2 

..  8 

15.00 

2  8 

•  3 

•  1 

20.00 

2    •  8 

•  3 

"    1  • 

20.00 

2     •  8 

'  3 

"    1  • 

20.00 

3  0 

•  3 

•  2 

23.00 

3    "  0 

•  3 

•    2  ' 

23.00 

3     •  1 

3 

4 

23.00 

3     •  1 

'  3 

•    4  • 

25.00 

3    •  1 

*  3 

'     4  •• 

27.00 

3-1  • 

3 

.     4  ..- 

27.00 

Fire-Alarm  and  Tower-Clock  Bells, 

Of  any  weight,  with  or  without  mountings,  and  provided 
with  the  most  approved  striking  apparatus,  if  desired. 

Special  information  as  to  the  weights,  dimensions, 
tones,  &c.,  of  bells  of  this  class,  suited  to  any  location, 
as  well  as  to  various  systems  of  mounting  and  striking, 
together  with  illustrations,  representing  two  forms  of 
mounting,  furnished  upon  incjuiry. 


M.reReusm.n'*-'"' 


Academy,  Factory  and  Depot  Bells, 

Of  weight  from  loo  lbs.  to  375  lbs.,  as  per  accompany- 
ing table,  with  complete  mountings,  including  Rotary 
Yoke,"  so  arranged  as  to  permit  the  ready  turning  of 
the  bell  and  prevent  liability  of  fracture  ;  Wheel  of 
Iron  ;  Substantial  Frame,  and  Iron  Standards.  Steel 
Springs  are  also  furnished.  Small  Churches,  Chapels, 
&c.,  are  frequently  supplied  with  bells  of  this  class. 


bell. 

MOUNTINGS. 

Weight. 

Diameter. 

Size  of  Frame,  Outside. 

Price  ot  Mountings. 

100  lbs. 

17  inch. 

2  feet  5  in.  by  2  feet 

8  in. 

$13.00 

125 

18K  " 

2 

•  6 

2 

8  " 

13.00 

150  " 

2 

6 

'     2  ' 

8  " 

15.00 

175  " 

20^  " 

2 

8 

•     3  • 

1 

20.00 

200  " 

-  " 

2 

•  8 

3 

1  ' 

20.00 

225  " 

22 

2 

•  8 

.  3 

1  • 

20.00 

250  '* 

23 

3 

'  0 

..     3  . 

2  " 

23.00 

275 

24 

3 

"  0 

..     3  .. 

2  ' 

23.00 

300  •* 

24^  ' 

3 

1 

3 

4  " 

23.00 

325  •• 

25 

3 

•  1 

'     3  • 

4  ' 

25.00 

350  ' 

26     '  •• 

3 

•  1 

•     3  ' 

4  •' 

27.00 

375 

26y:  •* 

Q 

•  1 

•      3  • 

4  '■' 

27.00 

B 

1 


10 


MENiiELY  ik  KIMBERLY*S  BELLS. 


Steamboat  and  Ship  Bells, 

Of  weight  from  too  to  700  lbs.,  furnished  with  Rotary 
Yoke,  '  for  the  ready  turning  of  the  bell,  and  a  Lever 
Arm  so  attached  as  to  allow  free  action  to  the  rope. 

Bells  of  this  class  are  polished  to  order,  and  supplied 
with  Gallows — Frames  or  mountings  of  any  design. 


Weight 

Price  of 
Mountings. 

Weight. 

Price  of 
Mountings. 

Weight. 

Price  c-f 
Mountings. 

100  lbs. 

$12 

250  Ib.^. 

$20 

450  lbs. 

$25 

1 50  ' 

12 

300  • 

20 

500  ' 

80 

175  • 

17 

860  " 

20 

600  " 

80 

200 

17 

400  '• 

25 

700  " 

80 

MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS.  I  I 

Court-House  Bells, 

Of  weight,  dimensions,  tones,  &c.,  noted  in  table  on 
page  7,  mounted  in  the  full  manner  of  Church  Bells,  as 
shown  in  cut  on  page  6,  and  complete  in  every  respect. 


Fog- Alarm  and  Light-House  Bells, 

Of  any  weight,  provided  with  mountings  specially 
adapted. 

Locomotive  Bells, 

Of  weight  from  60  lbs.  to  125  lbs.,  either  plain  or  pol- 
ished, constructed  with  shank  of  any  size  or  shape. 


Plantation  and  Farm  Bells, 

Of  weight  from  15  lbs.  to  80  lbs.,  mounted  with  Yoke 
and  Lever  Tail,  and  provided  with  Iron  Bearingg 
for  the  trunnions. 


Weight. 

Price  of 
Mountings. 

Weight. 

Price  of 
Mountings. 

Weight. 

Price  of 
Mountings. 

15  lbs. 

20  " 
25  " 

$2  50 

2  50 

3  00 

30  lbs. 
40  " 
50  " 

$3  00 
3  50 
3  50 

60  lbs. 

10  " 
80  " 

$4  00 
4  00 
4  50 

Bells, 

Designed  for  special  use,  of  any  number,  weight  and  . 
style  of  finish,  or  information  relating  thereto,  prompt- 
ly furnished. 


U.OFIU.  u& 


12  MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY*S  BELLS. 


Chime  and  Peal  Bells, 


Of  any  weight  and  number,  with  or  without  mountings, 
and  adapted  to  any  position.  The  number  of  bells 
necessary  to  constitute  a  chime  or  peal  is  not  limited, 
but  in  this  country  a  chime  is  generally  said  to  consist 
of  eight  bells  attuned  to  the  eight  tones  of  the.  octave, 
or  diatonic  scale.  In  nearly  every  case  a  bell,  attuned 
to  the  flat  seventh  tone  of  the  scale,  is  added,  inasmuch 
as  the  chime  is  thus  rendered  capable  of  producing 
music  in  two  keys.  In  some  cases  a  bell,  attuned  to 
the  sharp  fourth  tone  of  the  scale,  is  also  added,  so  as 
to  produce  music  in  a  third  key.  More  frequently, 
however,  all  of  the  bells  which  are  added  after  that 
representing  the  flat  seventh  tone  are  attuned  so  as  to 
follow  the  octave  in  natural  succession.  The  only  limit 
as  to  number,  in  this  respect,  is  that  suggested  by  the 
necessarily  constant  decrease  of  weight  and  the  conse- 
quent feebleness  of  tone. 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS.  1 3 

The  accompanying  cut  shows  a  simple  method  of 
mounting  chime  bells.  All  of  the  bells,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  tenoTy  or  largest,  (which  is  mounted  in  the 
full  manner  of  a  church  bell,  as  shown  on  page  6,  so 
that  it  can  be  rung  independently  of  the  others,  as  oc- 
casion may  require),  are  suspended,  stationarily,  from 
a  frame-work,  suited  to  the  tower,  and  are  sounded  by 
means  of  cords  and  rods  leading  from  the  ends  of  the 
clappers  and  passing  through  pulleys  to  the  position 
of  the  ringer,  where  they  are  attached  by  movable 
straps,  to  manuals,  in  the  form  of  levers,  which  are 
operated  by  a  single  player. 

peal,  in  this  country,  is,  generally,  said  to  consist 
of  three  bells  attuned  to  the  first,  third  and  fifth  tones 
of  the  musical  scale,  or  four  bells,  the  eighth  musical 
tone  being  thus  added.  These  bells  are,  usually,  pro- 
vided with  full  mountings,  and  are  sounded,  by  swing- 
ing, in  the  manner  of  church  bells. 

As  it  is  not  unusual  to  add  to  a  single  bell  a  num- 
ber of  bells,  so  as  to  form  a  peal  or  a  chime,  we  retain 
the  exact  key  of  every  large  bell  sent  out  by  us,  and  are 
thus  readily  enabled  to  provide  the  additional  num- 
ber of  bells  correct  in  tone. 

We  are  always  prepared  to  furnish  complete  informa- 
tion, (accompanied  by  detailed  drawings),  as  to  chimes 
or  peals  of  bells  of  any  number,  weight,  etc.,  with  cost, 
delivered  complete  and  in  proper  ringing  order,  in  any 
desired  position.  To  this  end  it  is  essential  for  us  to 
know  the  size  of  the  bell  chamber,  its  distance  from  the 
ground  and  heighth  of  ceiling,  together  with  the  loca- 
tion and  dimensions  of  windows,  &c. 


14  MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY's  BELLS. 


Meneely  &  Kimberly's  Patent  Rotary  Yoke. 

This  yoke  is,  unhesitatingly,  pronounced  to  be  not 
only  of  recent  design,  (patent  granted  May  9th,  1871), 
but  the  most  efficient  of  any  now  in  use,  and  exceed- 
ingly simple  in  its  construction  and  operation,  while  it 
may  be  claimed  to  be  of  superior  appearance  also.  No 
pains  or  expense  have  been  spared  in  its  design  nor  in 
the  completion  of  its  patterns.  The  advantages  of  this 
yoke  consist  in  the  firm  hold  which  it  secures^upon  the 
bell ;  in  the  ease  with  which  it  permits  the  bell  to  be 
turned  around,  while  still  mounted,  so  as  to  cause  the 
clapper  to  strike  in  a  new  place  and  prevent  liability  of 
fracture,  and  in  the  ready  change  which  it  allows  in  the 
adjustment  of  its  poise  to  the«conveniencc  of  the  ringer. 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY's  BELLS.  I  5 

The  construction  and  operation  of  this  yoke  are 
shown,  to  some  extent,  in  the  accompanying  cut,  in 
connection  with  that  on  page  6=  As  will  be  noticed,  a 
round,  tapering  shank  is  cast  upon  the  top  of  the  bell, 
and  upon  this,  the  yoke,  fitted  to  correspond,  has  a  firm 
bearing.  The  bell  is  supported  by  a  large  bolt  running 
through  the  centre  of  the  shank.  The  bolt  has  its 
bearing,  above,  on  a  circular  plate  fitted  to  and  cover- 
ing the  crown  and  aperture  of  the  yoke.  The  clapper 
and  spring  are  constantly  kept  in  proper  position  by 
means  of  the  bolt,  which  is  made  square  below  the 
screw,  and  is  fitted  with  a  washer,  toothed  around  on 
its  lower  side  and  bearing  upon  the  top  of  the  circular 
plate,  out  of  which  ris  everal  teeth,  corresponding  to 
those  of  the  washer. 

It  is  simply  necessary,  in  order  to  rotate  the  bell,  to 
unscrew  the  bolt  so  that  the  bell  is  loosened  a  little  in 
the  yoke,  when  it  can  be  readily  turned  to  any  desired 
extent  (the  plate  and  bolt  moving  with  it)  by  taking 
hold  of  it  at  the  rim.  The  bell  is  again  placed  in  con- 
dition for  ringing  by  turning  the  spring  (which  carries 
with  it  the  clapper  and  bolt)  so  that  it  stands  at  right 
angles  with  the  axis  of  the  yoke,  after  which  the  nut  of 
the  bolt  is  screwed  down. 

A  bell  is  made  to  swing  with  more  or  less  ease  by 
changing  the  position  of  the  notched  arms,  through 
which  the  trunnions  pass,  but  as  we  arrange  every  bell 
to  swing  properly,  when  tested  at  the  foundery  prior  to 
shipment,  it  is  better  not  to  disturb  the  position  of  these 
arms.  A  little  practice  almost  invariably  overcomes  the 
supposed  difficulty  attending  the  ringing  of  a  new  bell. 


i6 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY's  BELLS 


Clapper  Springs. 

Bells  of  loo  lbs.  and  upwards  have  Springs  attached 
to  them  (as  shown  in  cut  on  page  14)  to  prevent  the 
clapper  from  resting  on  the  bell,  after  the  blow  has 
been  givep.  An  exceedingly  disagreeable,  jarring 
sound  is  thus  avoided  and  the  bell  is  enabled  to  give 
out  its  tone,  full  and  clear.  The  noise  which  the 
action  of  the  clapper  upon  the  bare  spring  would  pro- 
duce is  obviated  by  the  use  of  leathers  riveted  upon 
the  ends  of  its  arms,  the  renewal  of  which  is  necessary, 
as  they  become  worn.  In  case  either  arm  of  the 
spring,  at  any  time,  stands  so  near  to  the  bell  as  not 
to  prevent  the  rebound  of  the  clapper,  it  can  be  forced 
a  little  further  out  by  inserting  a  bar  between  it  and 
the  side  of  the  bell. 

Tolling  Hammer. 

A  Tolling  Hammer  is  attached  to  the  frame  of  all 
bells  of  400  lbs.  weight  and  upwards  (see  cut  on  page 
6),  by  means  of  which  the  bell  can  be  tolled  in  a  man- 
ner very  prompt  and  clear.  This  hammer  is  so  ar- 
ranged, in  its  connection  with  the  frame,  that  its  length 
of  arm  can  be  changed  to  meet  any  change  in  the  posi- 
tion of  the  yoke-arms  and  consequent  raising  or  lower- 
ing of  the  bell,  it  being  essential  for  the  safety  of  the 
bell  as  well  as  for  the  quality  of  tone  produced,  that 
the  blow  of  the  hammer  falls  in  the  proper  place. 
Care  should  be  taken  that  the  tolling  hammer,  by 
thoughtless  pulling,  or  otherwise,' is  not  allowed  to  get 
in  the  way  of  the  bell  while  swinging,  as  it  might  thus 
become  broken  or  throw  the  bell  out  of  the  standards. 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY's  BELLS. 


17 


Stop. 

A  Stop,  or  Clutch,  is  attached  to  the  top  of  the 
wheel  of  all  bells  of  heavy  weight,  and  a  sliding  buffing- 
piece  to  the  inside  of  the  frame  beneath,  this,  latter, 
working  against  a  steel  spring,  (our  recent  invention), 
by  the  action  of  which,  the  one  against  the  other,  the 
bell  is  prevented  from  being  thrown  over  when  rung 
with  its  mouth  fully  up,  and  violent  jarring  or  strain- 
ing of  tower  and  mountings  is  avoided. 

Warranty. 

The  following  is  the  form  of  Warranty  which  we 
attach  to  the  bill  of  sale  of  all  bells  of  100  lbs.  and  up- 
wards : 

"The  above-mentioned  Bell  is  warranted  to  be  of  good  com- 
position and  of  perfect  tone  (the  purchaser  to  decide  in  this  mat- 
ter), and  is  also  warranted  not  to  break,  while  bemg  used  in  the 
proper  manner,  for  the  term  of  two  years  from  this  date.  In 
case  of  failure  in  either  of  these  respects,  and  immediate  notifi- 
cation of  the  fact  be  furnished  us,  our  agreement  is  to  re-cast 
the  bell,  or  provide  another  which  will  be  satisfactory,  free  of 
charge  ;  the  purchaser  to  bear  expense  of  transportation.'* 

Old  Bells. 

Old  Bells,  made  of  pure  bell-metal,  are  received  by 
us  in  part  payment  for  new  ones.  We  do  not  purchase 
any  old  or  mixed  metals  at  any  price. 

Inscriptions. 

Inscriptions,  of  any  desired  character,  are  cast  with- 
out extra  charge,  upon  bells  made  to  order. 
C 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY^S  BELLS. 


Moulding  CaseSc 


All  of  our  bells  are  moulded  in  per- 
forated iron  cases,  by  the  use  of  which 
we  are  enabled  to  secure  castings  thor- 
oughly sound  and  excellent  in  finish, 
and,  therefore,  capable  of  producing 
clearness  of  tone.  The  accompanying 
cut  shows  the  form  of  these  cases. 
Porous  loam  and  other  substances 
compose  the  material  which  is  put 
upon  the  cases  in  varying  thicknesses, 
to  which  the  necessary  form  and  finish 
are  given  by  the  use  of  sweep-patterns 
shaped  in  such  a  manner  as  to  secure 
by  their  revolution  about  a  common 
centre,  surfaces  corresponding  to  the 
outer  and  inner  portions  of  the  intended  bell.  As  bell 
metal  shrinks  in  cooling,  the  inner  case,  before  the  loam 
is  placed  upon  it,  is  wrapped  about  with  straw  rope,  the 
charring  of  which,  by  the  heat  of  the  metal  in  pouring, 
gives  room  for  the  necessary  contraction  and  prevents 
the  straining  of  the  metal.  The  moulds  are  closed  upon 
each  other  in  a  manner  securing  exact  regularity  of  thick- 
ness in  the  space  within.  The  metal  is  poured  in  at  the 
head.  The  gases  generated  in  the  metal,  and  which,  if 
allowed  to  remain  in  the  moulds,  would  produce  explo- 
sion, or,  at  least,  cause  a  porous  casting,  find  vent  in  the 
perforations.  These  cases,  also,  serve  to  the  advantage 
of  tli('  bell  in  allowing  it  to  cool,  after  casting,  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  secure  precise  uniformity  throughout. 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY's  BELLS. 


19 


Transportation, 

Having  our  works  centrally  situated  in  the  city  of 
Troy,  which  city  stands  unrivalled  no  less  in  its  conven- 
ience of  location  than  in  the  extent  of  its  manufacturing 
interests,  we  are  enabled  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  ad- 
vantages of  shipment  in  every  direction,  thus  offered, 
by  railroad,  canal  and  tide-water  navigation,  with  the 
greatest  promptness  and  dispatch. 

In  view  of  the  various  routes  open  to  us  it  is  desirable 
that  parties  in  ordering  bells,  should  designate  the  man- 
ner of  shipment.  In  the  absence  of  definite  instructions 
we  always  forward  bells  in  the  manner  which  we  deem 
to  be  for  the  best  interests  of  the  purchaser. 

Special  pains  are  taken  in  the  preparation  of  all  bells 
and  mountings  for  safe  shipment. 

Mounting  and  Ringing  Bells,  &c. 

The  bell-chamber  should  not  be  placed  any  higher  in 
the  tower  than  is  necessary  in  order  to  bring  the  position 
of  the  bell,  when  mounted,  just  above  the  level  of  the 
tops  of  the  surrounding  houses.  This  room  should  be  es- 
pecially arranged  to  permit  the  free  egress  of  the  sound. 
It  should  be  tightly  ceiled  directly  above  the  tops  ot 
the  windows,  which  latter  should  be  as  wide,  and  nearly 
open,  as  possible,  and  should  be  extended  almost  to  the 
floor  in  order  that  the  bell,  when  at  rest,  may  have  its 
mouth  above  the  level  of  their  base.  The  floor  beneath 
the  bell  should,  also,  be  tightly  closed. 

It  is  usual  to  construct  the  tower  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  bell  can  be  readily  hoisted  to  its  position 
through  openings  on  the  inside.    Since,  however  it  is 


20 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS. 


frequently  necessary  to  raise 
the  bell  on  the  outside,  we 
have  furnished  the  accom- 
panying cut,  together  with 
the  following  instructions, 
showing  simple  means  of 
getting  the  bell  into  its  place: 
First,  a  strong  beam  is 
projected,  at  an  elevated  an- 
gle, from  the  top  of  a  win 
dow  in  the  bell-chamber,  and 
is  thus  securely  fastened. 
The  tackle  is  attached  to  the 
end  of  this  beam,  and  the 
power  is  applied  either  from 
within  the  tower  or  by  run- 
ning the  rope  to  the  ground 
and  through  a  stationary  pul- 
ley, where  it  may  be  drawn 
upon  by  any  number  of  men, 
a  team  of  horses,  or  a  me- 
chanical hoisting  apparatus. 
When  the  bell  has  been  rais- 
ed to  a  sufficient  height  it 
can  be  drawn  into  the  tower 
by  the  guide-rope  or  by  a 
small  tackle.  Prior  to  the 
hoisting  of  the  bell  the  frame 
should  be  raised,  and  placed 
so  that  it  has  a  firm  and  level 
bearing.    If  necessary,  the 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY^S  BELLS.  2  1 

Standards  may  be  removed  from  the  frame,  and  the 
frame  taken  to  pieces.  The  wheel  shou/d,  also,  be  raised 
prior  to  the  bell,  and  placed  upon  the  proper  side  of  the 
tower,  ready  for  attachment.  It  will  be  noticed  that 
the  wheel  must,  necessarily,  be  placed  upon  the  side  of 
the  frame  opposite  to  that  which  the  tolling  hammer  is 
to  be  attached.  When  the  bell  is  mounted,  the  stand- 
ards should  have  small,  wooden  braces  set  up  against 
them,  sidewise,  (bearing  against  the  wall  of  the  tower 
at  the  intersection  of  the  floor),  so  as  to  prevent  any 
fracture  or  straining  in  that  direction.  The  clapper 
bolts  should  be  well  oiled,  when  inserted,  and  its  key 
open  at  the  end  so  as  to  prevent  its  falling  out. 

The  rope  is  attached  in 
the  manner  shown  in  the  ac- 
companying cut.  Whenever 
I  the  weight  of  the  bell  per- 
mits, it  is  usual  to  let  the 
rope  pass  down  through 
sheaves  directly  under  the 
centre  of  the  wheel,  by  which 
arrangement  the  bell  can  be 
swung  completely  over  with- 
out disarranging  the  rope. 
In  the  case  of  bells  of  heavy 
I  weight  since  any  additional 
friction  would  materially  increase  the  labor  of  ringing, 
it  is  usual  to  let  the  rope  fall  in  a  direct  line  from  the 
outer  portion  of  the  wheel  and  pass  through  the  floor 
without  the  use  of  sheaves.  To  guard  against  the 
throwing  over  of  the  bell,  and,  from  the  manner  of  its 


22 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY's  BELLS. 


attachment,  the  consequent  disarrangement  of  the  rope, 
a  stop,  as  described  at  page  17,  is  attached  to  the  out. 
side  of  the  wheel,  at  its  top,  and  another  to  the  inside 
of  the  frame,  at  the  bottom,  which,  acting  upon  each 
other,  arrest  the  motion  of  the  bell.  Our  most  excel- 
lent spring  attachment  prevents  any  injury  to  the  mount 
ings,  or  jar  of  tower,  by  the  sudden  action  of  this  stop. 

The  size  of  the  bell-rope  is  an  important  consideration, 
inasmuch  as  a  rope  of  much  larger  size  than  the  simple 
power  required  for  ringing  would  suggest,  is  generally 
selected  in  order  to  suit  the  grasp  of  the  ringer's  hand, 
and  this,  by  its  weight  and  stiffness,  is  apt  to  impede 
the  free  swinging  of  the  bell.  Below  is  appended  a  list 
of  the  sizes  of  rope  which,  experience  has  shown,  are 
suitable  for  bells  of  various  weights. 

For  bells  from  100  lbs.  to  400  lbs.  1-2  in.  diameter. 

"      "  500  800  lbs  5-8  " 

"  "     900  1,500  lbs  3-4  " 

"      "   of  T, 600  lbs.  and  upwards   i  " 

The  tolling  hammer  rope  can  be  of  any  size,  however 
small,  of  sufficient  strength,  inasmuch  as  it  is  usual  to 
attach  a  clutch  at  its  end,  for  the  grasp  of  the  hand. 

The  bell  and  its  mountings  should  be  examined,  from 
time  to  time,  to  sec  if  the  several  nuts  are  properly 
screwed  up  and  the  other  parts  are  in  order,  and  oil 
should  be  placed  upon  the  trunnion-bearings  as  often 
as  required,  but  not  in  sufficient  quantity  to  allow  of  its 
dripping  and  accumulating  upon  the  bell,  to  the  conse- 
quent injury  of  its  tone. 


BELLS 


It  15  Impossible  to  trace  the  origin  of  bells.  They 
were  commonly  known  in  the  earliest  ages,  and  are  thus 
referred  to  by  the  most  ancient  writers.  Doubtless 
bells,  so  called,  where  at  first  little  more  than  concave 
pieces  of  metal,  the  natural  sound  of  which  suggested 
their  use  for  certain  purposes,  and  in  this  form  their 
origin  may,  quite  probably,  be  said  to  date  from  the 
discovery  of  the  sonorous  qualities  of  metals.  Further 
as  to  the  antiquity  of  bells,  an  old  painting  of  King 
David  represents  him  as  playing,  with  a  hammer,  upon 
a  number  of  bells  hung  up  before  him,  while  one  old 
writer  gravely  avers  that,Tubal  Cain,  "  the  instructor  of 
every  artificer  in  brass  and  iron,"  formed  the  sounding 
metal  into  a  kind  of  rude  bell,  and  that  Noah  employed 
a  similar  instrument  to  summon  his  ship  carpenters  to 
their  work.  The  thorough  knowledge  possessed  by  the 
ancients  in  the  working  of  metals  render  such  state- 
ments not  altogether  absurd. 

It  should  be  added  that  bells  appear  to  have  been 
nearly  universally,  as  well  as  anciently  known.  Rude 
tribes,  inhabiting  before  undiscovered  islands  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea,  have  been  found  in  the  common  pos- 
session of  them.  Those  taken  from  the  tombs  of  the 
Peruvians,  and  some  small  bells  brought  by  a  trading 
canoe  of  Indians  to  Columbus,  at  Cape  Honduras,  show 
that  they  were  known  in  America  prior  to  its  discovery 
by  Europeans.    The  caldrons  of  Dodona,  which  closely 


24 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY's  BELLS. 


resembled  the  Indian  gong,  are  known  to  have  been  of 
very  ancient  origin.  Possibly  some  Assyrian  bells,  found 
by  Mr.  Layard  in  the  palace  of  Nimroud,  may  be  re^ 
garded  as  the  oldest  bells  in  the  world  of  which  there 
is  any  positive  information. 

The  origin  of  the  name  bell  is  not  definitely  known. 
By  some  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  derived  from  the 
Latin  word  pelvis — a  basin  ;  the  shape  being  thus  desig- 
nated. Others  claim  that  it  was  derived  from  the  Saxon 
word  bellaii — to  bawl.  Burder  in  his  writings  of  the 
East,  says  that  bells  derived  their  name  from  the  Sun, 
which  was  called  Baal  or  Bel,  from  his  supposed  domin- 
ion over  everything  ;  that  he  was  considered  the  author 
of  vibratory  motion  and  the  source  of  musical  sound, 
and  that  such  instruments  as  produced  sound  by  per- 
cussion were  called  bells. 

Bells  of  small  size,  as  has  been  stated,  were  first  in 
use.  They  are  referred  to  by  Moses  in  the  book  of 
Exodus,  as  being  attached  to  the  vestment  on  the  high 
priests  in  the  sanctuary  ;  by  the  prophet  Isaiah,  as  being 
worn  at  the  feet  of  women,  and  by  the  prophet  Zechar- 
iah,  as  being  hung  on  the  necks  of  horses.  The  ancient 
Persians  had  bells  attached  to  their  royal  costumes,  the 
same  as,  in  later  days,  the  chief  men  and  civil  officers  of 
the  Germans  had  them  suspended  to  their  garments.  In 
Egypt  and  other  countries,  girls  wore  strings  of  bells 
about  their  anklets  as  is  common  in  Cairo  at  the  present 
day.  They  were  used  in  the  camps  and  garrisons  of  the 
Greeks,  were  hung  in  triumphal  cars,  Were  sounded  in 
the  markets,  proclaimed  feasts,  preceded  funeral  proces- 
sions, and  were,  sometimes,  used  in  the  temples.  They 
were  also  hung  on  the  necks  of  malefactors  on  their  way 
to  execution,  and  from  this  Greek  custom,  it  is  said,  was 
derived  the  Roman  one,  of  hanging  a  bell  and  a  scourge 
to  the  Emperor's  chariot  that,  in  the  heighth  of  his  pros- 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY's  DELLS. 


-5 


perity,  he  might  be  admonished  against  pride  and  be 
mindful  of  human  misery,  The  Romans  used  bells  to 
denote  the  hours  of  bathing  and  public  business,  and  to 
assemble  families.  A  silver  bell  was  the  prize  formerly 
run  for  at  races,  hence  the  expression,  Bearing  away 
the  bell."  '  The  ancient  shepherds  appended  bells  to 
their  flocks,  by  the  sound  of  which,  it  was  thought,  they 
grew  fat.  They  were  also  attached  to  the  necks  of 
horses,  by  both  the  Greeks  and  the  Romans,  to  accus- 
tom them  to  noise  and  prepare  them  for  battle,  and  it 
was  from  this  custom  that  a  person  who  had  not  been 
tried  or  trained,  was  called,  "  one  not  used  to  the  noise 
of  the  bell."  With  this  seemingly  full  knowledge  of 
the  use  of  bells,  it  appears  singular  that  the  ancients 
knew  nothing  of  the,  comparatively,  very  recent  system 
of  domestic  bell  hanging.  So  many  centuries,"  says  a 
writer,  "  did  it  take  to  conduct  mankind  to  the  simple 
invention  of  ringing  a  bell,  in  a  horizontal  direction, 
with  the  use  of  a  crank  and  a  piece  of  wire." 

Large  bells,  or  those  of  expanded  form,  it  is  generally 
stated,  were  first  made  by  the  Christians,  but  they  were 
undoubtedly  used  in  China,  in  religious  worship,  at 
least  two  thousand  years  before  the  Christian  era.  It  is 
not  fully  known  who  was  first  to  introduce  bells  into 
Christian  churches.  Many  writers  claim  that  Paulinus, 
Bishop  of  Campania,  in  Nola,  first  used  them,  in  the 
year  400,  but  he  makes  no  mention  of  bells  in  a  detail- 
ed account  of  his  churches.  One  writer  states  that  this 
person  simply  suspended"  a  large  brass  kettle,  which, 
upon  being  struck,  notified  the  inhabitants  when  prayers 
began.  Others  assert  that  church  bells  were  first  used 
by  Pope  Sabinianus  about  the  year  600,  to  distinguish 
the  canonical  hours  :  but  we  read  of  bells  being  n  use 
by  the  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  in  his  churches,  in  the  year 
550.  Certain  is  it  that  "Christian  architecture  '  and 
D 


26 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY's  BELLS. 


the  introduction  of  turret,  or  church  bells  were  nearly 
coeval  events,  and  that  it  was,  solely,  for  the  support 
of  bells  that  church  towers  were  first  erected.  Indeed, 
bells  were  early  regarded  as  a  necessary  attachment  to 
every  church  edifice,  the  same  as  is  quite  commonly  be- 
lieved, in  many  localities,  at  the  present  day.  This  fact 
is  clearly  recognized  in  a  canon  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land which  specially  directs  that  ''parishes  must  furnish 
bells  and  bell  ropes." 

Associated,  in  various  ways,  with  the  ancient  ritual 
of  the  church,  bells  seem  to  have  acquired  a  kind  of 
sacred  character,  and  for  many  years,  in  Europe,  the 
bell  founderies  appear  to  have  been  set  up  in  the  relig- 
ious houses  and  the  founding  attended  with  great  cer- 
emonies, the  abbots,  priests,  and  frequently  the  bish- 
ops, being  the  master  manufacturers.  For  a  long  while, 
it  was  the  priest's  office  to  ring  the  bells.  By  the  Ro- 
man Catholics,  bells  were  early  blessed,  with  solemn 
ceremonies,  as  they  were  consecrated  to  the  duty  of 
calling  worshippers  to  their  religious  rites.  The  bells 
were  also  washed  and  named,  and  it  was  a  frequent  cus- 
tom to  give  sponsors  to  them.  This  custom  is  common 
at  the  present  day,  the  sponsors  now,  as  then,  usually 
being  persons  who  have  donated  the  bells  to  the  church 
in  whole  or  in  part.  An  account  is  given  of  the  great 
bell  of  the  Lateran  church,  being  named,  in  the  year 
968,  by  the  Pope  John  XIII.  for  himself,  John. 

Prior  to  the  use  of  church  bells,  religious  assemblies 
were  convened  by  various  means.  The  Egyptians  used 
trumpets  after  the  manner  of  the  Jews.  The  Chinese 
employed  "sounding  stones,"  suspended  by  cords.  In 
some  of  the  monasteries  the  office  was  taken  in  turns  of 
going  about  to  each  one's  cell,  and,  with  the  knock  of 
a  hammer,  calling  the  monks  to  church.  In  the  mon- 
astery of  the  Virgins,  at  Jerusalem,  the  signal  was  given 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS. 


27 


by  one  singing  Hallelujah.  At  one  time  it  was  the  cus- 
tom to  summon  the  congregation  to  worship  by  persons, 
who  were  termed  God's  runners,"  going  about  from 
house  to  house.  The  Turks  were  assembled  by  means 
of  wooden  boards,  or  iron  plates  full  of  holes,  struck 
upon  by  a  hammer.  Unlike  other  nations  these  strange 
people  have  not  adopted  the  use  of  bells,  and  their  call 
to  prayer  is  now  proclaimed  by  the  voice  of  the  muezzin 
ifrom  the  summit  of  the  minaret. 

In  the  middle  ages  bells  had  attained  a  very  promi- 
nent position  in  the  service  of  the  church  and  commu- 
nity. An  old  writer  describes  their  general  uses  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  To  call  the  fold  to  church  in  time, 

We  chime. 
When  joy  and  mirth  are  on  the  wing. 

We  ring. 
When  we  lament  a  departed  soul, 

We  toll." 

Many  of  their  special  uses  were  designated  by  the 
names  given  to  certain  bells. 

Thus  the  Ave  Maria  or  Angelus  bell,  which  was  toll- 
ed three  times  each  day,  and  at  its  hearing  every  one 
v/as  enjoined  to  betake  himself  to  meditation  and  prayer. 

The  Vespej"  bell  was  the  call  to  evening  prayer. 

The  Compli7i  bell  summoned  the  people  to  the  last 
religious  services  of  the  day. 

The  Sanctus  bell  was  always  rung  at  the  words  Sajic- 
tus,  sanclus,  sa^ictus,  Dominus  Deus  Sabaoth'^  and  who- 
ever heard  it  was  expected  to  prostrate  himself. 

These  uses  of  the  bell  are  still  fully  observed  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church. 

The  Passing  bell  was  so  named  as  being  tolled  when 
any  one  was  passing  out  of  life,  that  those  who  heard  it 
might  pray  for  the  soul  that  was  leaving  this  world. 
From  this  custom,  doubtless,  sprang  that,  quite  com- 


28 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS. 


mon  in  many  parts  of  the  world,  of  slowly  tolling  the 
bell  at  deaths,  or  while  funerals  are  being  conducted, 
as  a  mark  of  respect  to  the  deceased. 

The  Curfew  bell  (couvre  feu)  was  rung  as  a  signal  for 
the  inhabitants,  who  lived  in  wooden  houses,  to  put  out 
their  fires  and  retire  for  the  night,  and  though,  for  ages, 
its  only  use  has  been  to  toll  the  nell  of  parting  day," 
the  practice,  in  many  countries,  is  still  kept  up,  and, 
as  an  English  writer  says,  "  There  are  few,  who  have 
been  accustomed  tO)  its  sound,  that  would  not  feel,  if  it 
was  hushed,  that  a  soothing  sentiment  had  been  taken 
out  of  their  lives.*' 

Excommunication  by  ''bell,  book  and  candle"  was 
an  old  practice  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  The 
people  were  summoned  by  the  sound  of  a  bell,  the  an- 
athema was  pronounced  out  of  a  book,  and  the  candles 
were  extinguished  as  emblematical  of  the  extinction  of 
hope  in  the  sinner  s  soul. 

The  Tocsin  or  alarm  bell  was  in  early  use,  and  was 
generally  suspended  in  casties  and  fortresses  to  an- 
nounce the  approach  of  the  enemy.  Thus  we  find  that 
when  Macbeth  had  shut  himself  in  the  fortress  of  Dun- 
sinane,  and  it  was  announced  to  him  that  Birnam  Wood 
was  moving  onward  to  the  castle,  his  desperate  order 
was,  Ring  the  alarum  bell !"  Upon  peals  of  bells  the 
alarm  was  given,  by  ringing  the  l^ells  in  the  reverse 
manner — that  is  from  the  lowest  in  tone  to  the  highest. 
Bells  are  still  commonly  employed  for  alarm  purposes, 
and,  as  against  fire,  their  use,  in  many  sections,  has 
been  greatly  systematized  in  the  manner  of  signaling 
the  exact  location  of  danger. 

Bells  were,  at  first,  as  has  been  stated,  of  a  form  quite 
unlike  that  seen  at  the  present  day.  Tlie  Chinese  for- 
merly made  their  bells  nearly  square  in  shape.  At  one 
time  it  was  the  custom  to  make  Im^IIs  of  several  pieces 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS. 


29 


of  metal  welded  together,  but  these  necessarily  lacked 
vibration  and  were  useless^  The  materials  employed 
in  the  manufacture  of  the  oldest  bells  of  which  we  have 
any  record,  were,  hov^rever,  the  same  as  those  now  in 
use,  namely,  copper  and  tin  ;  the  proportions,  alone, 
being  different.  And  here  it  mighc  be  stated  that  the 
long  experience  of  the  ancients,  as  well  as  the  careful 
tests  of  later  years,  has  clearly  proven  that  these  are 
the  only  metals  capable  of  producing  a  proper  ringing 
alloy.  Iron  and  steel,  and  even  silver  and  gold,  fre- 
quently entered  into  the  composition  of  bell-metal,  in 
whole  or  in  part,  but  solely  to  the  injury  of  the  tone. 
The  first  two  named  metals  have  been  found  the  least 
adapted  for  use  in  this  manner,  owing  to  the  harsh  and 
disagreeable  sounds  v/nich  they  are,  alone,  capable  of 
producing,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  silver  and  gold, 
being  more  in  the  nature  of  lead,  as  compared  with 
copper  and  tin,  are  incapable  of  producing  the  full,  clear 
tone  requisite  in  a  bell.  Persons,"  says  an  English 
writer,  "  speak  as  familiarly  of  sweetening  the  tone  of  a 
bell,  by  the  introduction  of  a  little  silver,  as  they  would 
of  sweetening  a  cup  of  tea  with  a  lump  of  sugar.  This 
is  a  dream."  Quite  as  great  a  mistake,  as  the  above,  is 
in  the  common  belief  that  our  ancestors  employed  sil- 
ver, more  than  ourselves,  in  the  manufacture  of  bells, 
except  that  it  was  customary  to  cast  a  few  tributary 
coins  into  the  furnace  during  the  process  of  melting. 
It  is  unnecessary,  perhaps,  to  add  that  the  quality  of  a 
bell  depends  not  only  upon  the  nature  of  its  composi- 
tion, but  equally  as  much  upon  its  shape  and  the  proper 
proportions  of  its  height,  width  and  thickness. 

The  tone  of  a  bell,  it  is  well  known,  is  the  result  of 
its  vibrations.  When  struck,  a  bell  changes  shape,  and 
these  repeated  changes  constitute  its  vibrations.  At 
one  moment  a  bell  is  an  oval,  with  its  longest  diameter 


30 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS. 


at  exact  right  angles  to  the  position  of  its  longest 
diameter  at  the  preceding  instant.  The  number  of 
vibrations  produced  in  a  bell,  in  a  given  time,  varies 
directly  as  the  square  of  the  thickness,  and  inversely  as 
the  bell's  diameter,  or  as  the  cube-root  of  its  weiorht. 
By  this  knowledge  the  production  of  any  given  tone  in 
a  bell  is  readily  secured.  In  a  number  of  bells  forming 
a  complete  octave  the  diameters  would  appear  in  the 
following  proportion:  C  i,  D  8-9,  E  4-5,  F  3-4,  G  2-3, 
A  3-5,  B  8-15,  C  1-2.  In  fact  the  diameters  of  bells 
correspond  to  the  lengths  of  musical  strings.  In  proof 
of  this  principle  some  instruments  of  bells,  to  which 
violin  bows  were  attached,  were  produced  in  Italy  many 
years  since.  It  might  be  stated  that  the  tone  of  a  bell, 
as  it  reaches  the  ear,  is  made  up  of  different  tones 
blended.  Like  other  sounds,  that  of  a  bell  is  readily 
reflected.  There  is,  also,  a  force  in  the  sound-waves, 
so  called,  of  a  bell,  which  is  readily  perceived  by  any 
one  standing  near  a  bell  of  considerable  size  when  ring- 
ing. Even  the  Swiss  muleteers  are  said  to  tie  up  their 
little  bells,  at  certain  places,  lest  their  tinkle  should 
shake  the  delicately  poised  snow  and  bring  an  ava- 
lanche down.  The  distance  to  which  the  sound  of 
bells  under  peculiar  circumstances  of  air  and  other  sur- 
roundings, is  often  heard,  is  exceedingly  remarkable, 
and  this  fact  has  frequently  given  credence  to  the  pleas- 
ing illusions  of  sailors  at  sea  and  travelers  upon  the  des- 
ert, thousands  of  miles  from  home,  listening,  in  trem- 
bling wonder,  to  the  sounds  of  their  own  villaq^e  bells. 

If  a  bell  have  any  sides  the  clapper  will  find  'em," 
said  Ben  Johnson,  and  yet  the  proper  ringing  of  bells 
is  a  matter  requiring  considerable  experience  and  skill. 
In  some  parts  of  the  world  this  practice  has  been  en- 
tered into  with  much  spirit,  especially  so  in  England, 
where  it  has  become  truly  national,  and  has  secured  foi 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS. 


31 


that  country  the  title  of  the  Ringing  Isle."  The 
same  feeling  prevades  the  literature  of  English  bell 
ringing,  which,  from  the  simple  nursery  rhyme  of  ''Gay 
go  up  and  gay  go  down,  to  ring  the  bells  of  London 
town,"  becomes  quite  startling  in  the  plai7i  bob  triples, 
bob  majors,  bob  majors  reversed,  double  bob  majors  and 
grandsire  bob  caters  of  the  player's  role,  and  yet  one  en- 
thusiastic writer  published,  in  161 8,  a  book  of  475 
pages  to  prove  that  the  principal  employment  of  the 
blessed  in  heaven  will  be  the  continual  ringing  of  bells, 
*'  Great,"  says  Southey,  are  the  mysteries  of  bell  ring- 
ing. And  this  may  be  said  in  its  praise,  that  of  all  de- 
vices which  men  have  sought  out  for  obtaining  dis- 
tinction by  making  a  noise  in  the  world,  it  is  the  most 
harmless."  The  number  of  eha^iges  which  can  be  play- 
ed upon  a  chime  of  bells  is  almost  marvelous,  twelve 
bells  allowing  a  no  less  number  than  479,091,600. 
Chimes,  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  frequently  consist 
of  forty  or  fifty  small  bells,  and  are  played  by  means 
of  a  barrel  like  that  in  a  hand  organ,  or  by  clock-work. 
The  carillons,  also  composed  of  small  bells,  are  very 
common  throughout  the  Netherlands  and  are  played 
like  a,  piano-forte. 

As  would  be  generally  supposed,  superstition  early 
enlisted  bells  into  her  service.  Josephus  says  that  the 
ancients  regarded  them  as  signifying  thunder.  In 
many  cases  they  were  looked  upon  as  the  signals  of  vic- 
tory and  dominion.  Historians  state  that,  in  the  year 
610,  the  army  of  Clotharius  was  frightened  from  the 
siege  of  Sens  by  the  ringing  of  the  bells  of  St.  Steph- 
ens, and  that  Calixtus  III.  employed  the  same  device 
against  the  dreaded  Osmans.  It  was  long  imagined 
that  the  ringing  of  bells  had  power  to  avert  the  des- 
truction of  lightning,  storm  and  pestilence,  though,  in 
later  days,  this  influence  was  frequently  ascribed  to 


32 


MENEELV  &  KIMDLRLY's  BELLS. 


natural,  rather  than  to  supernatural  causes,  in  the  be- 
lief that  their  sound  purified  the  air.  Even  at  the  pres- 
ent day  it  is  the  custom,  throughout  the  vinelands  of 
France,  to  ring  the  bells  at  the  approach  of  storms,  for 
the  purpose,  and  to  the  effect,  as  generally  supposed, 
of  breaking 'the  impending  clouds.  It  was,  also,  a  com- 
mon belief,  that  the  sound  of  bells  struck  with  terror 
the  evil  spirits,  which,  it  was  thought,  were  in  waiting 
to  seize  upon  a  soul  departing  from  the  body,  and,  in 
order  to  accomplish  this  purpose  the  more  effectually, 
bells  were,  frequently,  made  of  monstrous  size.  In 
view  of  their  use  in  this  manner,  many  persons  be- 
queathed large  sums  of  money  for  the  support  of  favor- 
ite bells  which  were  rung  at  the  time  of  their  decease. 
There  is  a  bell  in  England,  called  Black  Tom  of  Scot 
Hill,"  which  is  said  to  have  been  an  expiatory  gift  for  a 
murder.  This  bell  is  tolled  on  Christmas  Eve,  as  at  a 
funeral,  and  its  ringing  is  called  the  "  Devil's  Knell," 
under  the  supposition,  that  the  devil  died  when  Christ 
was  born.  It  was  a  popular  idea  that  demons,  afYright- 
ed  by  the  sound  of  bells  calling  Christians  to  prayers, 
would  flee  away.  In  respect  to  this  idea  says  an  old 
writer  on  bells  :  They  are  they  that  must  make  all 
things  well ;  they  must  drive  away  the  devil.  If  all  the 
bells  in  England  should  be  rung  together  at  a  certain 
hour,  I  suppose  there  would  be  almost  no  place  but 
some  bells  might  be  heard  there,  and  so  the  devil  would 
have  no  abiding  place  in  all  England."  The  Turks, 
however,  believed  that  the  sound  of  bells  disturbed  tho 
repose  of  souls,  which,  as  they  supposed,  wandered  in 
the  air.  They  also  regarded  them  as  the  symbols  of 
sinful  infidelity  and  a  most  dangerous  foe,  and  hence 
forbade  the  Greek  Christians  the  use  of  bells  after  the 
taking  of  Constantinople.  Many  stories  are  related  of 
bells  which  would  not  suffer  themselves  to  be  carried 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS.  33 

ried  away  from  their  proper  resting  places,  or  which,  if 
carried  away,  would  instantly  become  dumb.  Severe 
judgments  were  predicted  against  those  who  destroyed, 
carried  away,  or  in  any  manner  misused  bells,  and  spe- 
cial honor  was  conferred,  it  was  supposed,  upon  any  one 
born  within  the  sound  of  certain  bells.  Believers  in 
dreams  and  fortune  prophecies  had  long  delight  in  the 
fancy  which  directed  them  to  "  consult  the  bells,"  ever 
sure  to  clearly  answer  out  the  messages  most  earnestly 
desired.  Familiar  to  all  is  the  pleasing  story  of  the 
Bells  of  Bow  calling  back  the  poor  runaway  apprentice 
by  their  cheering  burthen — Turn  again,  Whittington, 
thrice  Lord  Mayor  of  London."  The  supposed  super- 
human influence  of  bells,  possibly,  had  its  culmination 
in  the  belief  that  certain  bells  had  the  power  to  cure 
lunacy  ;  "  a  belief  which,"  says  a  writer,  "  would  now, 
of  itself,  be  an  indication  of  the  disease." 

Akin  to  this  superstitious  feeling  is  the  sincere  affec- 
tion with  which  bells  have,  often,  been  regarded.  It  is 
said  of  a  friar  that,  upon  the  destruction  of  his  monas- 
tery, he  regretted  nothing  so  much  as  the  loss  of  a 
favorite  bell  which,  after  diligent  search,  he  found  had 
been  removed  to  a  village  church,  where  he  submitted 
himself  to  become  a  common  laborer  that  he  might 
end  his  days  within  hearing  of  it.  Even  the  mighty 
conquerer  of  Europe  was  deeply  stirred  by  the  sound 
of  bells.  When  we  were  at  Malmaison,"  says  Bour- 
rienne  of  Napoleon,  how  often  has  the  booming  of 
the  village  bell  broken  off  the  most  interesting  conver- 
sation. He  stopped,  lest  the  moving  of  our  feet  might 
cause  the  loss  of  a  single  beat  of  the  tones  which 
charmed  him*  The  influence,  indeed,  was  so  powerful 
that  his  voice  trembled  with  emotion,  while  he  said  : 
*  That  recalls  to  me  the  first  years  I  passed  at  Bri- 
enne.' "  Most  touching,  however,  is  the  tradition  told 
E 


34 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS. 


in  connection  with  the  peal  in  Limerick  Cathedral.  It 
is  said  to  have  been  brought  from  a  convent  in  Italy, 
for  which  place  it  had  been  manufactured  by  an  enthu- 
siastic native,  with  great  labor  and  skill.  The  Italian, 
having  acquired  a  competency,  fixed  his  home  on  the 
convent  cliff,  and  for  many  years  enjoyed  the  daily 
chimes  of  his  beloved  bells.  But  in  some  political 
convulsion  which  ensued,  the  monks  were  driven  from 
their  monastery,  the  Italian  from  his  home,  and  the  bells 
were  carried  away  to  another  land.  After  a  long  inter- 
val the  course  of  his  wanderings  brought  him  to  Lim- 
erick. On  a  calm  and  beautiful  evening,  as  the  vessel 
which  bore  him  floated  along  the  broad  stream  of  the 
Shannon,  he  suddenly  heard  the  bells  peal  forth  from 
the  Cathedral  tower.  They  were  the  long  lost  treas- 
ures of  his  memory.  Home,  happiness,  friends — all 
early  recollections  were  in  their  sounds.  Crossing  his 
arms  on  his  breast  he  lay  back  in  the  boat.  When  the 
rowers  looked  around  they  saw  his  face  still  turned  to- 
ward the  Cathedral,  but  his  eyes  had  closed  forever  on 
the  world. 

Any  history  of  bells  would  be  far  from  complete 
without  a  reference  to  the  great  bells  of  the  world.  In 
the  city  of  Moscow,  alone,  before  the  revolution,  there 
were  several  hundred  large  bells,  and  this  number  has 
been  greatly  increased.  The  simple  fact  that  the  Rus- 
sians regard  the  sound  of  bells,  not  only  as  a  holy 
summons  to  church,  but  as  a  part  of  the  very  act  of 
worship,  readily  accounts  for  their  love  for  bells  and 
their  extravagance  in  procuring  them.  Travelers  in- 
form us  that  the  Russ'ians  never  tire  of  ringing  their 
heavy  l)clls,  and  that  in  Moscow  on  the  Sabbath  day, 
the  sounds,  which  are  produced  without  any  regard  to 
harmony,  are  absolutely  painful  to  the  car,  and  prove 
an  effectual  check  to  conversation  on  the  streets.  The 


Jhj:  {\R^kT  ^^hh  or  ^O^COW  (f!^AR  jCoX-OKOI-.) 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY*S  BELLS. 


37 


"  Great  Bell  of  Moscow,"  or  Czar  Kolokol  (emperor  of 
bells)  deserves  first  notice.  This  is,  by  far,  the  largest 
bell  in  the  world.  Its  weight  is  about  440,000  pounds, 
and  its  cost,  in  simple  bell  material,  is  estimated  at 
above  300,000  dollars,  to  which,  reliable  writers  inform 
us,  upwards  of  1,000,000  dollars  were  added  in  pre- 
cious jewels,  plate,  &c.,  by  the  nobles,  at  the  time  of 
casting.  The  dimensions  of  this  bell  are  about  twen- 
ty-one feet  in  height,  and  twenty-two  feet  in  diameter. 
It  was  cast  by  order  of  the  Empress  Anne,  in  the  year 
1734,  from  the  metal  of  a  gigantic  predecessor  which 
had  been  greatly  damaged,  and  is  ornamented  on  the 
side  with  several  figures,  one  of  which  represents  the 
Empress  in  flowing  robes.  It  is  not  suspended.  Dr. 
Clarke  in  his  "  Travels"  says,  "  The  Russians  might 
as  well  have  attempted  to  suspend  a  first-rate  line-of- 
battle  ship  with  all  its  stores  and  guns,"  but  this  is  a 
mistaken  idea.  The  bell  was  originally  suspended 
from  beams,  which,  being  destroyed  by  fire  in  1737, 
permitted  the  heated  bell  to  fall  to  the  ground  and 
break,  since  which  time  it  has  remained  dumb.  The 
Emperor  Nicholas  had  it  raised  in  1837,  and  placed 
upon  a  low  circular  wall  in  the  Kremlin.  It  is  now 
consecrated  as  a  chapel,  the  opening  in  its  side  be- 
ing large  enough  to  admit  two  men  standing  abreast. 
The  bell  is  carefully  guarded,  and  the  Russians  will 
not  allow  a  single  particle  of  its  metal  to  be  taken 
away. 

There  is  another  monstrous  bell  in  Moscow,  given 
by  the  Emperor  Bodis  Godunof  to  the  cathedral  of 
Moscow,  weighing  upwards  of  1 20,000  pounds.  This 
bell  is  suspended  in  the  tower  of  Ivan  Veliki,  and 
when  it  is  rung,  which  is  thrice  in  a  year,  all  of  the 
other  bells  are  silent.  Its  mighty  voice  is  said  to  "  pro- 
duce a  tremulous  effect  throughout  the  city,  and  a  noise 


38 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY  S  BELLS. 


like  the  roaring  of  distant  thunder."  There  are,  in 
this  same  tower,  thirty  or  forty  other  bells,  which, 
though  of  less  size,  are  enormous  ;  some  of  them 
weighing  many  tons.  The  bells  of  Russia  are  fixed, 
immovably,  to  their  beams.  Their  tongues  are  slung 
by  means  ^of  leather  bands  and  are  moved  by  ropes 
drawn  in  such  a  manner  as  to  cause  the  blows  to  fall 
upon  the  surface  at  three  points  instead  of  in  two  places, 
directly  opposite  to  each  other,  as  in  the  general  and 
natural  custom. 

The  bells  of  China  (in  which  country  large  bells  had 
their  origin)  rank  next  in  size  to  those  of  Russia.  In- 
deed, it  is  not  uncommon,  throughout  China,  to  see  en- 
ormous bells  lying  upon  the  ground,  their  weight  having 
broken  down  the  towers  in  which  they  were  suspended. 
Though  possessed  in  great  number,  each  bell  seems  to 
be  of  excellent  workmanship,  and  nearly  all  are  richly 
ornamented  with  inscriptions,  both  inside  and  out. 
These  bells  have  not  the  merit  of  a  tolerably  fair  tone, 
like  those  of  the  Russians,  and  are  of  most  inferior 
shape,  while  their  dullness  of  sound  is  increased  by  their 
being  struck  with  wooden  mallets  instead  of  iron  clap- 
pers. Both  the  bells  of  China  and  its  gongs,  the  latter 
of  which  are  famous,  are  made  of  a  peculiar  alloy  quite 
remarkable  in  the  hideous  tones  which  it  is  capable  of 
producing. 

The  Great  Bell  of  China,"  in  Pekin,  weighs  120,000 
pounds,  and  is  fourteen  feet  in  height  and  twelve  feet 
in  diameter.  In  Nankin  there  is  a  bell,  now  fallen  to 
the  ground,  which  weighs  50,000  pounds. 

In  Japan,  bells  are  very  commonly  used.  They  are 
much  the  same  in  form  and  composition  as  the  bells  of 
China,  and  are  found  in  every  size  and  number.  They 
arc  suspended  in  low  towers,  near  the  temples,  and  arc 
sounded  by  means  of  wooden  beams,  swinging  from  the 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS. 


41 


roof,  to  which  straw  ropes  are 
attached.  In  entering  a  tem- 
ple in  Japan,  or  at  the  com- 
mencement o:  worship,  it  is 
the  custom  to  sound  the  bell 
in  order  to  arouse  the  deity, 
and  have  him  wide  awake  to 
the  calls  of  the  devout.  Here- 
with is  illustrated  a  Japanese 
bell. 

The  bells  of  Holland  and 
Belgium  are  also  remarkable  for  their  size  and  num- 
ber. They  are  hung,"  says  a  writer,  about  every 
church  and  public  building,  in  endless  variety,  and,  as 
the  inhabitants  are  enthusiastic  in  their  fondness  for 
bells,  they  are  never  left  at  rest." 

In  Bruges,  Belgium,  there  is  a  single  tower  which 
contains  no  less  than  ninety-nine  bells. 

Below  are  given  the  weights  of  several  of  the  so- 
called  large  bells  of  the  world  : 

A  bell  in  Vienna  weighs  40,000  lbs.  In  Olmutz 
there  is  one  of  equal  weight.  A  bell  in  Rouen,  France, 
subsequently  cast  into  other  form,  weighed  36,000  lbs. 
The  largest  Westminster,  England,  bell  weighs  about 
30,000  lbs.  There  is  a  very  fine  bell,  of  same  weight, 
in  Erfurt,  Germany.  A  bell  in  the  cathedral  at  Mon- 
treal, which  is  the  largest  bell  in  America,  weighs  about 
25,000  lbs.  One  in  Notre-Dame  cathedral,  at  Paris,  is 
of  same  weight.  St.  Peters,  of  Rome,  weighs  17,500 
lbs.  ''Great  Tom,"  of  Oxford,  weighs  17,000  lbs. 
At  Rennes,  France,  there  is  a  celebrated  clock  bell 
which  weighs  16,000  lbs.  The  bell  ''Jacqueline,"  of 
Paris,  cast  in  1400,  weighed  15,000  lbs.  "  Great  Tom," 
at  Lincoln,  weighs  1 2,000  lbs.  St.  Paul's,  of  London, 
a  noted  bell,  weighs  1 1,500  lbs 
F 


42 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS. 


A  bell  of  special  interest  in  this  country,  is  the  fa- 
mous Liberty  Bell."  This  bell  was  cast  for  the  State 
House  in  Philadelphia,  in  the  year  1751,  and  upon  it 
though  made  twenty-five  years  before  the  Continental 
Congress  met  in  the  State  House, 
were  placed  the  words  of  the  Bible  : 
"  Proclaim  Liberty  throtighout  all  the 
land  to  all  the  inhabitants  thereof'' 
It  was  under  this  bell  that  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  thirteen  colonies 
first  proclaimed  liberty,"  and  this 
bell,  with  its  iron  tongue,  started  the 
tidings  throughout  the  land.  The 
bell  was,  subsequently,  broken  when  ringing  a  fire 
alarm.  It  is  now  suspended,  by  a  chain  of  thirteen 
links,  from  the  ceiling  in  the  hall  of  the  State  House 
in  Philadelphia. 

Some  of  the  inscriptions  found  upon  bells  are  inter- 
esting, in  showing  the  religious  feeling,  superstition, 
or  amusing  sentiment  prevailing  at  different  times  and 
places. 

The  following  are  in  the  form  of  invocation  : 
"  May  my  sound  please  Thee,  O  Christ,  Heavenly  King." 
"  Our  motion  speeds  the  Redeemer's  praise." 
"Jesus  regard  this  work,  and  by  Thy  strength  prosper  it." 

The  following  are  of  more  recent  adoption  : 
"  Oh  come,  let  us  worship." 
"Make  a  joyful  noise  unto  the  Lord.' 
"  Holiness  unto  the  Lord." 
"Let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come." 
"  My  tongue  shall  speak  of  Thy  praise." 
"  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest." 

The  following,  in  whole  or  in  part,  is  often  found  on 
both  old  and  new  bells  ; 


kENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS. 


43 


Laudo  Deum  verum,  Funera  plango, 

Plebem  vocOy  Fulgura  frango^ 

Congrego  clerMM^  Sabbata  pango, 

Defunctos  plorOy  Excito  le?itoSy 

Pestem  ftigo,  Dissipo  ventos, 

Festa  decoro^  Paco  cruentos, 

(I  praise  the  true  God,  I  bemoan  the  burial, 

I  call  the  people,  I  abate  the  lightning, 

I  convene  the  clergy,  I  announce  the  Sabbath, 

I  bewail  the  dead,  I  arouse  the  slothful, 

I  dispel  the  pestilence,  I  dissipate  the  winds, 

I  grace  the  festival.  I  appease  the  revengeful.) 

Upon  a  bell  in  Cambridgeshire  is  the  following  : 
Dtilcis  sisto  melts  campania  vocor  Gabrielisr    (I  am 
called  the  sweet-toned  bell  of  the  Angel  Gabriel.) 

On  an  alarm  bell  at  Ghent — 

"  'gaiincn  itaem  t6  'glofanb ;  af0  iR  fifep  is  ti  6ran5,  anb  af^  iK 
fui)  i$  cr  Didorte  tu  f)cf  fanb."  (My  name  is  Roland  ;  when 
I  toll  there  is  fire,  and  when  I  ring  there  is  victory  in 
the  land.) 

The  great  bell  at  Rouen  bore  the  following  : 

"  Je  suis  George  d'Ambois, 
Qui  ai  trente-cinque  mille  pois  ; 
Mais  lui  qui  me  pesera, 
Trente-six  mille  me  trouvera." 

An  old  translation  of  above,  poorly  rendered,  is  as 
follows  : 

"  I  am  George  of  Ambois, 
Thirty-five  thousand  in  pois  ; 
But  he  that  shall  weigh  me 
Thirty-six  thousand  shall  find  me." 

On  a  fire  bell  in  Shelburne — 

"  Lord  !  quench  this  furious  flaine  ; 
Arise,  run,  help,  put  out  the  same." 


44  MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY^S  BELLS. 

On  one  in  Derbyshire — 

"  Mankind  like  me  are  often  found, 
Possessed  of  naught  but  empty  sound." 

On  one  in  Worcestershire — 

"  If  you  would  know  when  we  was  run, 
It  was  March  the  twenty-second,  1701." 

On  a  bell  at  Binstead — 

"  Samuel  Knight  made  this  ring, 
In  Binstead  steeple  for  to  ding." 

On  one  in  Oxfordshire — 

"  I  ring  to  sermon  with  a  lusty  boome, 
That  all  may  come  and  none  stay  at  home." 

On  one  in  Berkshire — 

At  proper  times  my  voice  I'll  raise, 
And  sound  to  my  subscriber's  praise." 

On  one  in  Warwickshire — 

"  I  sound  to  bid  the  sick  repent, 
In  hope  of  life  when  breath  is  spent." 

On  one  in  Hampshire — 

"  Unto  the  church  I  do  you  call, 
Death  to  the  grave  will  summons  all." 

On  one  in  Derbyshire — 

"  When  of  departed  hours  we  toll  the  knell, 
Instruction  take  and  use  the  future  well." 

On  one  in  the  Carlisle  cathedral — 

"  I  warn  ye  how  your  tmic  passes  away.  Serve  God,  there- 
fore, while  life  doth  last,  and  say  Gloria  in  Kxcchis  Deo  !  ' 

On  the  great  bell  of  Glasgow  cathedral — 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLy's  BELLS. 


45 


"  In  the  year  of  grace,  1594,  Marcus  Knox,  a  merchant  in 
Glasgow,  zealous  for  the  interests  of  the  reformed  religion, 
caused  me  to  be  fabricated  in  Holland  for  the  use  of  his  fellow 
citizens  of  Glasgow,  and  placed  me  with  solemnity  in  the  tower 
of  this  cathedral.  My  function  was  announced  by  the  impress 
on  my  bosom,  *  Ye  who  hear  me,  come  to  learn  of  my  holy  doc- 
trine,' and  I  was  taught  to  proclaim  the  hours  of  unheeded 
time.  One  hundred  and  ninety-five  years  had  sounded  their 
awful  warnings,  when  I  was  broken  by  the  hands  of  inconsider- 
ate and  unskillful  men.  In  the  year  1700  I  was  cast  into  the 
furnace,  refounded  at  London,  and  returned  to  my  sacred  voca- 
tion. Reader  !  thou  also  shalt  know  a  resurrection — May  it  be 
unto  eternal  life  !  " 

Of  bells,  it  can,  with  truth,  be  said  that,  ever  since 
their,  introduction,  they  have  been  highly  regarded  by 
all  nations,  the  Turks,  alone,  excepted.  Even  the  Pu- 
ritans, though  the  enemies  of  church  music,  and  of  al- 
most everything  which  had  been  put  to  superstitious 
uses,  did  not  wage  direct  war  against  bells.  Certainly, 
there  is  nothing  of  simple  human  contrivance  for  which 
community,  in  any  locality,  has  stronger  regard,  or 
with  which  associations  are  more  deeply  mingled.  And 
there  is  that  in  the  associations  connected  with  bells 
which  has  caused  them  to  be  considered,  throughout 
past  ages,  as  not  inappropriate  memorials  to  departed 
relatives  or  friends. 

Says  a  distinguished  English  writer  :  From  youth 
to  age  the  sound  of  the  bell  is  sent  forth  through 
crowded  streets,  or  floats,  with  sweetest  melody,  above 
the  quiet  fields.  It  gives  a  tongue  to  time  which 
would,  otherwise,  pass  over  our  heads  as  quietly  as  the 
clouds,  and  lends  a  warning  to  its  perpetual  flight.  It 
is  the  voice  of  rejoicing  at  festivals,  at  christenings,  at 
marriages,  and  of  mourning  at  the  departure  of  the 
soul.  From  every  church  yard  it  summons  the  faith- 
ful of  distant  valleys  to  the  house  of  God  ;  and  when 
life  is  ended,  they  sleep  within  the  bell's  deep  sound. 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY*S  BELLS. 


Its  tone,  therefore,  comes  to  be  fraught  with  memorial 
associations,  and  we  know  what  a  throng  of  mental 
images  of  the  past  can  be  aroused  by  the  music  of 
bells"  : 

"  O,  what  a  preacher  is  the  time-worn  tower, 
Reading  great  sermons  with  its  iron  tongue." 

Adds  the  same  writer  :  The  sound  of  bells  has 
traveled  with  the  light  that  has  lighted  the  Gentiles  ; 
and,  now  that  the  Gospel  has  penetrated  the  most  dis- 
tant parts  of  the  globe,  there  is  not,  perhaps,  a  minute 
of  time  in  which  the  melody  of  bells  is  not,  somewhere, 
rising  towards  heaven." 

The  praise  of  bells  has  been  the  poet's  theme  in  all 
ages,  than  which -no  subject  has  produced  deeper  emo- 
tion, or  inspired  more  tender  feeling. 

Very  touching  are  the  familiar  lines  of  Moore  : 

"  Those  evening  bells  !  those  evening  bells  ! 
How  many  a  tale  cheir  music  tells. 
Of  youth  and  home,  and  that  sweet  time 
When  last  I  heard  their  soothing  chime." 

Most  exquisite  is  the  poem  of  Father  Prout  on 

"  The  bells  of  Shandon, 
That  sound  so  grand  on 
The  pleasant  waters 
Of  the  river  Lee." 

Said  Charles  Lamb  :  Of  all  sounds  of  bells  (bells 
the  music  nighest  bordering  on  heaven)  the  most 
solemn  and  touching  is  the  peal  which  rings  out  the 
old  year." 

Tennyson,  in  his  poem  entitled  The  Death  of  the 
Old  Year,"  (to  which  a  beautiful  illustration  is  given,) 
expresses  the  same  feeling  : 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY*S  BELLS. 


"  Toll  ye  church  beli  sad  and  slow, 
And  tread  softly  and  speak  low, 
For  the  old  year  lies  a  dying." 

the  words  of  the  German  song  :  ' 

"  Bell  !  thou  soundest  merrily 
When  the  bridal  party 
To  the  church  doth  hie  ! 
Bell  !  thou  soundest  solemnly 
When,  on  Sabbath  morning. 
Fields  deserted  lie  ! 

"  Bell  !  thou  soundest  merrily  ; 
Tellest  thou  at  evening, 
Bed  time  draweth  nigh  ! 
Bell  !  thou  soundest  mournfully, 
Tellest  thou  the  bitter 
Parting  hath  gone  by  ! 


48 


MENEELY  &  KIMBERLY's  BELLS. 


*'  Say  !  how  canst  thou  mourn  ? 
How  canst  thou  rejoice  ? 
Thou  art  but  metal  dull  ! 
And  yet  all  our  sorrowings, 
And  all  our  rejoicings, 
Thou  dost  feel  them  all  !  " 

Says  Schiller,  in  his    Song  of  the  Bell "  : 

"  Let  it  discourse  of  solemn  things, 

With  sounds  metallic  rend  the  sky, 
And  let  the  hours  with  rapid  wings 

Fail  not  to  stir  it  as  they  fly. 
To  dumb  fate  it  a  tongue  shall  lend  ; 

Heartless  itself^  not  made  to  feel, 
Yet  shall  its  swinging  strokes  attend 

Each  turning  of  life's  giddy  wheel, 
And  as  its  peal  upon  the  ear 

Falls  heavily  and  dies  away, 
'Twill  teach  how  nauq^ht  abideth  here, 

How  all  things  earthly  must  decay." 


ICHURCH,   ACADEMY,  TOWER-CLOCK 
FACTORY.  CHIME,  COURT-HOUSE, 
FIRE-ALARM,  AND  OTHER 


JVIOUNTED  IN  THE  MOST  APPROVED  MANNEF( 


Office  and  Foundery, 


22  AND  24  River  Street,  Troy,  n.  Y. 


/ 


mm 


